This is part of a series of articles that appeared CETD championed issue of IEM's monthly publication - Jurutera, September 2013. The article is best viewed in its original published form, available from IEM in print or online.
An Interview with Ir. Professor Mohd Ali Hashim
by Tan Bee Hong
Ir. Professor Mohd Ali Hashim is an unassuming man
and so soft-spoken that I wonder if his students ever take advantage of him.
But make no mistakes. Five minutes with the Professor of Chemical Engineering
at University of Malaya and one realises that there is a steely presence behind
his patiently quiet demeanour.
He shows Ir. Professor Dr Dominic
Foo (Chemical Engineering Technical Division chairman of IEM) and I some facts
and figures to back up his replies to our queries during an hour-long interview
in his office.
He is smartly dressed with a tie to
match, which he admits, at the end of the interview that he seldom wears, preferring
a more casual style.
We wanted to know about how chemical
engineering started in this country approximately 40 years ago. Being the most
senior chemical engineering professor in this country, Ir. Professor Ali told
us about the story. The university’s Department of Chemical Engineering was
established in 1975 (first in Malaysia, followed by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
in 1983 and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in 1984) with the help of Professor
John Kirkaldy, a Scotsman. Before that, an undergraduate course on chemical technology
was offered in the Chemistry Department at the Faculty of Science.
At that time, only a selected few
were among the intake, less than 10 students a year. “Today, there are about 60
students annually,” said Ir. Professor Ali. “When we first started, my students
were picked for jobs by corporations, even before they graduated.”
However, he adds: “It’s not easy to
start a chemical engineering department in general, as it involves very expensive
lab equipment.” Later, he walks us to the lab to show us the impressive
equipment set-up.
Despite this, more and more
universities have started offering Chemical Engineering studies as the demand
for chemical engineers continues to grow. Ir. Professor Dr Foo stated that
there are more than 10 Chemical Engineering departments set up in the past 10
years, bringing more than 20 departments that offer Chemical Engineering
courses in Malaysia, with approximately 1,600 graduates each year. However, Ir.
Professor Ali agrees with Ir. Professor Dr Foo that while graduates are
excellent in the “hard” skills part, many are still lacking in soft skills or
the ability to communicate and make presentations. One of his ways to overcome
this is to get his students to do reports as presentations which he feels, will
prepare them better for the job in the real world.
WHAT IS CHEMICAL ENGINEERING?
Not to be mistaken for chemistry, chemical
engineering is primarily concerned with process engineering though today, the
field has expanded to be more than just that.
According to Wikipedia, a chemical
engineer is one who works principally in the chemical industry to convert basic
raw materials into a variety of products, deals with the design and operation
of plants and equipment to do such work. A chemical engineer applies and uses
the principles of chemical engineering in any of its various applications and
these include:
- Design, manufacture and operation of plants and machinery in industrial chemical and related processes (chemical process engineers)
- Development of new or adapted substances for products ranging from foods and beverages to cosmetics to cleaners to pharmaceutical ingredients, among many other products (chemical product engineers) and
- Development of new technologies such as fuel cells, hydrogen power and nanotechnology, as well as working in fields wholly or partially derived from Chemical Engineering such as materials science, polymer engineering, biochemical and biomolecular engineering.
However it seems that not many in this country
actually know what Chemical Engineers are doing for their professional works.
Ir. Professor Dr Foo mentioned an interesting finding on a survey that he
conducted a few years back with his first year students. For three consecutive
years, more than 40% of his student population had enrolled for Chemical Engineering
because “I like chemistry”!
There has been a tremendous change
of approaches to chemical engineering over the last many years. For a very long
time, unit operations and the systemization of transport phenomena have been
the core of Chemical Engineering education. The 1960s saw the emergence of process
systems engineering. In barely a century, chemical engineers have erected the
technological infrastructure of much of modern society. Without their
contributions, industries as diverse as petroleum processing and pharmaceutical
manufacturing would not exist as we know them today. Currently, a confluence of
intellectual advances, technological challenges, and economic driving forces is
shaping a new model of what chemical engineering is. A major force behind this
evolution is the upsurge of new products and materials that are entering the
market. Whether from the biotechnology industry, the electronics industry, or
the high-performance materials industry, these products are critically
dependent on structure and design at the molecular level for their usefulness. Another
force shaping the future of chemical engineering is society’s increasing
awareness of health risks and environmental impacts from the manufacture,
transportation, use, and ultimate disposal of chemicals. These will be
important sources of new challenges to chemical engineers.
When trained in the four-year
chemical engineering programme, a graduate can work in waste, food, biochemical
industries, apart from the conventional chemical industrial sectors, such as
oil and gas, petrochemicals, palm oil-based oleochemicals, etc. The chemical
engineering programme trains them basically, for numerous industries, says Ir.
Professor Ali.
JOB PROSPECTS
The chemical industry in the country and Asia Pacific
region is developing at an extremely fast rate, creating a huge, insatiable
demand for chemical engineers. The oil and gas sector, for instance, he says,
is expanding and as new oil fields are discovered, the job market is expanding at
an equal rate. Ir. Professor Dr Foo added, Malaysia has emerged to be the
design hub for the oil and gas industry in Asia Pacific. There are a lot of new
companies (oil and gas, safety and environmental consultants) that started their
business in Kuala Lumpur, to support their business in the region, and even
worldwide (such as the case for ExxonMobil, see the following page). Ir.
Professor Dr Foo noted that there are many new companies sprouting up that are
looking for chemical engineers. Those with 4-5 years experience are being snapped up by companies to
support their projects in the Middle-East, he says. This explains why more
universities are offering chemical engineering programmes, as there are indeed
vacant to be filled for this profession. He also believes that the growing
trend will continue at least for another 5-10 years.
“Then there is the palm oil-based
oleochemical industry which is growing with new products and by-products being created
all the time.”
Ir. Professor Dr Foo chips in: “And
do you know the semi-conductor industry also has a need for chemical engineers?”
Seeing the look of surprise on my
face, he happily explains: “Yes, think of solvents, waste materials etc. Some
20% to 30% of my students are working in the semiconductor industry. Chemical
engineers have the advantage over chemists when employed as quality controllers
as they are trained in the operation process. They also help to deal with the
waste treatment in the semi-conductor industry.”
Ir. Professor Dr Ali adds: “There is also
environmental engineering, previously (the domain of) civil engineers. But today,
people realise that chemical engineers have more to offer, particular dealing
with industrial effluent. After all, ensuring the treatment process to perform
as it should be, is the job of a chemical engineer.”
In the last 20-40 years, greater
awareness of environmental issues and safety has created the need for chemical
engineers to ensure safety in the production process and to promote sustainable
development. Ir. Professor Ali says HSE (Health, Safety & Environment) is getting
more emphasis in the curriculum of any Chemical Engineering programme offered.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
According to IChemE (Institution of Chemical
Engineers UK), sustainability is the foremost key issue regarding the chemical
engineering profession. The three principal areas of focus are sustainable
energy, sustainable technology and the 3R (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) concept.
The world’s resources are also becoming depleted. We observe that chemical
engineers are the key driver in this aspect. We see significant of works being
dedicated towards the reduction of raw materials consumption, energy recovery
and other aspect of waste minimisation initiative. Ir. Professor Dr Foo says:
“A good example can be found in national oil and gas giant Petronas which is
now taking serious measure for water minimisation in various processing sites
in the country. What’s most encouraging is that they are using pinch technology which we developed locally!”
He added: “Within IEM, we are trying
to foster this concept via education. In our recently completed Chemical Engineering
Design Competition, we set a scope for zero emission for the students to come
out with various schemes for implementing waste reduction for their design project.
Besides, we also conduct workshops and seminars regularly to promote resource
conservation concept.”
Presently, over 80% of the world’s
energy comes from fossil fuels which emit high levels of GHG (greenhouse gas). Along
with depleting reserves, atmospheric pollution from GHGs is a major issue.
However, reduction of fossil fuel consumption may not be a sensible solution
for a developing country like Malaysia. Instead, chemical engineers should look
into the development and application of renewable energy sources.
“In Malaysia, we are blessed with
plenty of palm-based biomass, such as empty fruit bunches. You can see significant
research are carried out by many academics in the country in order to maximise
the potential of this great energy sources.” said Ir. Professor Dr Foo.
PROFESSIONAL BODIES
I then asked about the issue of professional
development, as I was told that chemical engineers were not keen to register
with the Board of Engineers Malaysia or sign for membership with professional
bodies such as IEM and IChemE. Ir. Professor Ali, the first chairman of IChemE Malaysia
Branch, says it’s useful for new graduates to join bodies such as IChemE and
IEM, especially those who want to work overseas. “This is important for all
engineers, not just chemical engineers, as a signature acquires greater value
with board membership.”
Ir. Professor Dr Foo added that,
with the signing of the MOU (memorandum of agreement) between IEM and IChemE,
“we should soon see some joint efforts in promoting professional development
among chemical engineering community in the country”.
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